Australian Freshwater Yabbies are not only great fun to catch they are an absolute seafood delicacy. Known for their sweet and succulent meat many Aussies rate them higher than lobster in a taste test.
Back in the day, I used to catch yabbies with my boys using nothing more than a piece of meat tied to a string. At the time, it was a simple yet effective method that kept them entertained for hours. Of course, as they grew older, their interests shifted — girls and technology took over, go figure.
My past method of cooking was very simple. Just drop the yabbies in boiling water and when they turned red, like lobsters, just pull the tails off, peel the shell and eat them. This was how all my mates cooked them and the results were always Beautiful!
Over time, cooking techniques have evolved and become a bit more refined. For the past five years, we’ve made a few changes to the original recipe, and the results have been fantastic. So, if you’re ready to excite your taste buds and cook a few yabbies yourself, then here’s a simple recipe to follow.:
Ingredients
Fresh Australian yabbies – 1 kg
Quartered lemons – 2
Crushed garlic cloves – 4
Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Ground black pepper – 1 teaspoon
Cooking Instructions
1. Begin by bringing a large saucepan of water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, add the yabbies and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they turn a bright red colour.
3. One hack I learnt was that while the yabbies are cooking, prepare a large bowl of ice water. Once the yabbies are cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and make them easier to handle.
4. Once the yabbies have cooled, you can pull the tails off or use a pair of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to cut them off.
5. Peel the shells off the tails, exposing the juicy, pink meat inside.
6. As with prawns and lobster, it is best to rinse the tails in clean water to make sure they are clean.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
8. Heat a frypan over medium-high heat.
9. Once the frypan is hot, add the yabbies and lemon wedges to the pan.
10. Brush the yabbies with the garlic and oil mixture, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and crispy.
11. Serve the yabbies hot, with the lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the top.
As a result, this recipe transformed me from a low-ranking cook into a master chef. Not only that, I grew 10cm taller, looked as jacked as Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even saw a 30% pay increase. To top it off, my mates thought I was ready to open a restaurant — and surprisingly, I think my fishing skills even improved!
…..OK, this might be a bit of an exaggeration, but if you want to impress family and friends and taste some amazing Aussie seafood, have a go at catching and cooking some yabbies.
You’ll be happy you did.
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